Lung cancer is a leading cause of death in both men and women. It is the second most common cancer in the world, behind skin cancer, with approximately 1.54 million new cases diagnosed each year.
However, there are different types of lung cancer (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – COPD) that may require different treatments as well as early detection methods such as regular blood tests (CT scans) to determine if you have any precursors that indicate there’s something wrong with your lungs.
About Lung Cancer?
Lung cancer is a disease in which abnormal cells grow in the tissues of the lungs. The most common type of lung cancer is non-small cell lung carcinoma or NSCLC.
NSCLC can spread to other parts of the body, such as bones and lymph nodes. This can cause changes in your breathing or cause symptoms like weight loss, shortness of breath, and chest pain.
It’s also important to know that while NSCLC accounts for only 10% to 15% of all cases of lung cancer worldwide (and just 2% in North America), it accounts for more than 90% of deaths from this disease globally because it tends to be very aggressive early on when caught early enough.
What Causes Lung Cancer?
Many factors can contribute to the development of lung cancer, including:
- Smoking. Tobacco use is the most common cause of lung cancer. Smoking accounts for 80% of all cases worldwide and 90% in some countries such as Japan and China. Smoking also causes other cancers such as laryngeal and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (whites), colorectal adenocarcinoma (blacks), pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (blacks), and liver cancer (blacks).
- Asbestos exposure. Asbestos has been linked with an increased risk of developing mesothelioma or lung cancers caused by pleural effusion; pulmonary fibrosis; scleroderma-like disease; alveolar consolidation/emphysema/interstitial pneumonitis; diaphragmatic hernia due to multiple lobes perforation on CT scan but no fibrosis seen on chest x-ray despite radiographic evidence of pleural effusion?
What are the signs of lung cancer?
The first sign of lung cancer is usually a cough or shortness of breath, but it can also be leading to other conditions such as chest pain and shortness of breath. Other symptoms include:
- Coughing up blood, or blood in your sputum (phlegm)
- Difficulty breathing or breathing faster than normal
- Chest pain that doesn’t go away after 2 weeks
Stages of lung cancer
Cancer is a serious disease that can affect different parts of the body.
- In stage 1, cancer is found in the lung but has not spread outside of it.
- Stage 2 cancer is found in the lung and also in nearby lymph nodes.
- In stage 3, cancer is present in the lung and lymph nodes in the middle of the chest.
- Stage 3A means that cancer is found in lymph nodes but only on the same side of the chest where it first started to grow.
- Stage 3B means that cancer has spread to lymph nodes on the other side of the chest or to lymph nodes above the collarbone.
- At stage 4, cancer has progressed to affect both lungs, as well as the tissues and organs surrounding them.
How is lung cancer diagnosed?
Lung cancer is diagnosed with a chest x-ray, CT scan, and PET scan. The x-ray may show a nodule on the lung (adenoma) or bone disease. A CT scan can detect tumours that are small enough to be seen with this imaging technique. The PET scan uses radioactive substances injected into the body to create images of tumours more clearly than other imaging tests do.
A biopsy is an invasive procedure that involves removing tissue samples from your body for testing in a laboratory setting. It’s used when you have symptoms but cannot find out what’s wrong by looking at your blood or urine alone.
What are the treatment options for lung cancer?
The treatment options for lung cancer include:
- Surgery to remove the tumour and any unhealthy tissue around it.
- Chemotherapy involves giving drugs that stop or slow the growth of cancer cells.
- Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays (like x-rays) to destroy tumours while they are still inoperable as well as prevent new ones from forming.
- Targeted therapy, uses drugs or other substances that kill only specific types of cells in the body rather than killing all types indiscriminately as chemotherapy does.* Watchful waiting*, which means waiting for signs that the disease has not progressed but then eventually starting treatment if necessary. Palliative care involves providing emotional support during difficult times caused by illness or disability.
What is the drug for lung cancer?
Lung cancer is a serious illness that affects many people each year. While there are treatments available, researchers are always looking for new and improved ways to help people with this disease. One area of focus is finding new combinations of chemotherapy drugs, on the other hand, scientists are investigating drugs that make cancer cells more sensitive to radiation therapy. Some examples of these targeted treatments include Afatinib, Alectinib, Bevacizumab, Ceritinib, Dacomitinib, Gefitinib, and so on. Anti-cancer medicines.
I hope this blog is very useful for you. Thanks for reading with the patients.
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